Though the road to China had been rough, the result was all too sweet for Gilas!
Behind another dominant outing by Andray Blatche and the will of the likes of Jayson Castro and June Mar Fajardo, Gilas Pilipinas went all out, blasting Kazakhstan, 93-75, early Monday (Manila time) at the Republican Velodrome Saryarka in Astana.
With the win, Gilas ended their 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers campaign as the best fourth-placed team with a 7-5 record in Group F. The Philippines had a little assist coming from Ricardo Ratliffe and South Korea as the country's continental rivals took a huge 84-72 come-from-behind win against Lebanon in Zouk Mikael.
But in this game, it was Blatche who towed the Philippines to China. The naturalized Filipino dropped 41 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 shooting from the stripe to go along with 14 rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks.
The 6-foot-9 big man out of Syracuse, New York was unstoppable in the game, already tallying 34 markers during the third canto to give Gilas cushion against the Kazakhs.
Blatche though was assessed his fourth foul with 3:45 left in the third stanza after a name all too familiar to Filipinos, Alexandr Zhigulin, drew an offensive foul.
Inspired by Blatche's herculean effort, Jayson Castro and June Mar Fajardo took the cudgels. With Castro raining threes and Fajardo being a menace inside, Gilas would extend their 60-51 lead to a 70-55 advantage.
Castro had 15 markers built on four triples while Fajardo had nine points and seven rebounds.
Not wanting to leave anything to chance, Gilas showed no mercy to the Kazakhs, who embarrassed them at home last November 30, 88-92. Gilas would lead by as much as 20 points late in the game.
Paul Lee and Marcio Lassiter chipped in eight points each, knocking down two triples apiece.
The World Cup takes place from August 31 to September 15 in China.
Source: Chooks to go
Behind another dominant outing by Andray Blatche and the will of the likes of Jayson Castro and June Mar Fajardo, Gilas Pilipinas went all out, blasting Kazakhstan, 93-75, early Monday (Manila time) at the Republican Velodrome Saryarka in Astana.
With the win, Gilas ended their 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers campaign as the best fourth-placed team with a 7-5 record in Group F. The Philippines had a little assist coming from Ricardo Ratliffe and South Korea as the country's continental rivals took a huge 84-72 come-from-behind win against Lebanon in Zouk Mikael.
But in this game, it was Blatche who towed the Philippines to China. The naturalized Filipino dropped 41 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 shooting from the stripe to go along with 14 rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks.
The 6-foot-9 big man out of Syracuse, New York was unstoppable in the game, already tallying 34 markers during the third canto to give Gilas cushion against the Kazakhs.
Blatche though was assessed his fourth foul with 3:45 left in the third stanza after a name all too familiar to Filipinos, Alexandr Zhigulin, drew an offensive foul.
Inspired by Blatche's herculean effort, Jayson Castro and June Mar Fajardo took the cudgels. With Castro raining threes and Fajardo being a menace inside, Gilas would extend their 60-51 lead to a 70-55 advantage.
Castro had 15 markers built on four triples while Fajardo had nine points and seven rebounds.
Not wanting to leave anything to chance, Gilas showed no mercy to the Kazakhs, who embarrassed them at home last November 30, 88-92. Gilas would lead by as much as 20 points late in the game.
Paul Lee and Marcio Lassiter chipped in eight points each, knocking down two triples apiece.
The World Cup takes place from August 31 to September 15 in China.
Source: Chooks to go
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